Antitrust implications of utility participation in the market for remote photovoltaic systems

Remote photovoltaic power systems are an important niche market in the development of a viable photovoltaics industry. Electric utilities in the USA have started offering remote photovoltaic service. Utilities have the potential to use their monopoly power in regulated markets to unfair competitive advantage in competitive markets. Therefore, electric utility participation in remote photovoltaic markets raises potentially significant issues of antitrust law and policy. This paper describes some of the legal and factual criteria that US courts and regulatory agencies are likely to use in assessing the antitrust implications of utility participation in the market for remote photovoltaic systems